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This is great news. Something I noticed in the NYT story. When the Iraqi team got to their hotel room, it was occupied by the Iranian team, which had already been eliminated. Even in sports Iran has to get involved.

This is why I love soccer. No matter where you go in the world, soccer brings people together. I grew up in Nigeria, and we’ve had some really bad governments, but people get thru it because of the soccer team. It may sound stupid to an American, but it does make a huge difference. you can see somebody who is hungry, and starving…but you won’t know it, if the national team has won a game. You see big restaurants opening up the doors and feeding everybody for free, because of a soccer win.

I’m happy that the people of Iraq has felt this too. This is their first ever international win, and if something is going to heal that country, and make all these different sects not want to kill each other, soccer can do it. I know, cus i see it happen in Nigeria, everyday.

I spend a little time every weekend reading Islamic discussion forums. These people are absolutely NUTS over soccer. This is probably the best thing that has happened for Iraq since the fall of Saddam.

Looks like a great match. That Iraqi keeper did make a great save, though he got lucky at the end coming out the way he did, and the ball landed on the net. I remember getting excited for the Iraqis during the ’04 Olympics when they did so well.

Happy for the Iraqis, but the state of Asian soccer is abysmal. Iraq and Saudi Arabia are two of the weakest national sides in the World, yet they made it to the final? Against an average European or South American side they would have gotten crushed.